Big News Emerges on Former Duke QB Daniel Jones' Future

One of Duke's biggest stars in the NFL, Daniel Jones, has been the subject of trade rumors in recent weeks. 

The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, and a few teams are looking for quarterback help. One team in particular, the Minnesota Vikings, has been floated as a team that would like to find an extra arm this season with Kyler Murray battling an injury.

Jones had a solid season with the Indianapolis Colts last season. He signed a two-year, $88 million contract extension with the Colts in March. Entering Sunday's contest against the Dallas Cowboys, he had thrown for 1,542 yards, five touchdowns, and nine interceptions. 

The Colts dropped to 2-7 with a 27-23 loss to the Cowboys. Following the game, big news emerged on Jones’s future with the team.

Per Tom Pelissero of The Ringer, the Colts told Jones that they do not plan to trade him by Tuesday. Multiple teams called on Jones, but the Colts didn't want to trade him.

The Colts traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner in Week 8. Indianapolis is expected to trade Jonathan Taylor this week. However, Indianapolis wants to make sure it has a quarterback in place for the incoming general manager in 2027. 

Following the loss to Dallas, Jones told reporters the Colts have been dealing with a lot of distractions after general manager Chris Ballard was fired in October. Jones called the Colts' situation "unfortunate" and said that his job is to try and focus on winning as many games as possible. 

Jones likes head coach Shane Steichen. He believes in the system Steichen is running.

It remains to be seen if Steichen will remain as head coach after the season. The firing of Ballard sent a message that the Colts are ready to clean house. Coming into the year, it was expected that Indianapolis had to make the playoffs or there would be mass firings. 

The Colts have not played well this season. Jones is certainly a part of that. Coming off an Achilles injury from the 2025 campaign, Jones couldn't have been expected to play at a high level early in the season.

Jones has eight more games to finish out with the Colts. Then, Indianapolis has another big decision to make on the former Blue Devils quarterback in the offseason. He could serve as a transition quarterback if the Colts take a young signal-caller in the 2027 draft.